CiRA and IREM Enter the Next Chapter of Collaboration: Establishment of the Cross-Bound Kyoto University On-Site Laboratory
Kyoto University and the University of Zurich have established the Kyoto University–University of Zurich Next-Generation Medicine Laboratory, a joint On-site Laboratory represented by CiRA and IREM. Building on nearly a decade of collaboration, the new laboratory will strengthen joint research, education and researcher exchange.
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The first meeting in 2017 between researchers from the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM) at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University has developed into a long-standing scientific partnership in regenerative medicine. Over the past nine years, the collaboration between CiRA and IREM has grown step by step, from scientific exchanges and joint research to collaborative publications, researcher mobility, and joint international events.
Now, this collaboration has entered a new phase. On 18 September 2026, Kyoto University officially approved the establishment of the Kyoto University–University of Zurich Next-Generation Medicine Laboratory, a cross-bound On-site Laboratory (OSL) represented by CiRA and IREM, locally operated in Kyoto and Zurich from October 2026 (https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/news/2026-09-18). The laboratory will focus on cell and gene therapies with the overarching goal of developing next-generation medicine while exchanging and educating globally minded scientific leaders.
The OSL transforms an established collaboration into a shared research environment, with expected ripple effects across the universities. Rather than connecting individual laboratories only through separate projects or visits, researchers from Kyoto and Zurich will be able to work across institutional and national boundaries within a broader framework. The initial scientific program combines CiRA's expertise in iPS cell technology, disease modeling, drug screening, and genome editing with IREM's expertise in tissue engineering, gene and cell therapy, bioentrepreneurship and translational regenerative medicine. Initial projects will address designer cells for tissue-engineered cardiovascular matrices, exosome-integrated 3D-bioprinted scaffolds for regenerative therapies, and iPS cell-based disease modelling.
Importantly, the OSL is not only about research. Training the next generation of scientists is at its core. Early-career researchers (ECRs) will have opportunities to work in both Kyoto and Zurich and gain experience across distinct disciplines ranging from genome engineering and iPS cell biology to biofabrication, tissue engineering and preclinical translation. Additionally, the planned educational activities will combine advanced training in iPS cell generation and genome editing with entrepreneurship and innovation, helping young researchers understand not only how discoveries are made, but also how they can ultimately be translated into new therapies.
In combination with the recently established global research network, i2PARADIGM, in which CiRA and IREM collaborate with additional partner institutions across several countries, the new laboratory therefore represents both a milestone and a starting point. Both projects build on nearly a decade of trust, scientific exchange, and shared ambition, while providing a structure for deeper integration of research, education, and researcher mobility. Regular exchanges of principal investigators and early-career researchers are planned, with joint projects expected to provide the basis for future Swiss, Japanese, and international funding initiatives for joint ECR training and scientific collaborations.